Steamed Prawns with Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaves

Hubby and I went to a neighbouring city to search for a vegetable wholesale market recently. It was a half-an-hour drive from our place and out of boredome, I kept snapping pictures of the highway.


The vegetable market is a huge area with vendors setting up makeshift stalls under concrete shelters. This place reminds me of the Pasir Panjang wholesale centre in Singapore, but only much bigger.


Th variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that greeted us was fascinating! I wish I could take more pictures and post them in the blog, but unfortunately, I won't be able to do so once I step out of the car. Well, picture taking by women in public is frowned upon and I can only get my hubby's help to take a picture of a fruits stall.


We were about to leave the market when we happened to pass by a single storey building with meat, poultry and seafood stalls. Upon entering, I was overwhelmed by the sight of seafood section as there are at least 30 stalls selling a huge variety of seafood. I was so excited that I bought enough seafood that last us for more than a week!

The next day, using half a kilo of the prawns that I got from the market, I prepared a steamed prawns with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves dish. I've cooked this yummy dish many times before but I don't know why I didn't blog about it earlier.

If you plan to give this recipe a try, one important point to note is that, the amount of seasoning given in the recipe is just an estimate, so when cooking the sauce, you have to keep tasting and adjusting the seasoning until the right balance of flavour is achieved.

While I enjoy the spiciness in the sauce, I can't have too much of it at one go. I'd usually use up half of it for the prawns and keep the rest in the fridge. If this level of spiciness is fine with you, by all means, use up all the sauce. If not, please do not throw it away because the sauce can be put to good use. An easy way to use up the sauce, as what I'd normally do, is to reheat it and serve with a piece of fish that is pan-fried until golden brown and crispy. Recycling the leftover this way not only helps to save cost but also spare me the trouble of having to think of what to cook for my next meal!


Steamed Prawns with Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaves Recipe
(Adapted from Famous Cuisine Magazine, Issue no. 45)

Ingredients A:
500g large prawns

Ingredients B:
5 garlic cloves
3 kaffir lime leaves
3 stems lemongrass
10 shallots
2 red chillies
3 chilli padi
1 stalk fresh coriander

Seasoning:
5 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce

Method:
1) Chop all ingredients B until fine. Set aside.
2) Rinse the prawns, remove shells on the bodies but leave the shells on the tails intact. Steam in a preheated steamer for about 7 minutes, or until cooked.
3) Cook seasoning in a saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Add chopped ingredients and juice from steaming the prawns, stir well. Keep tasting and add more seasoning, if necessary.
4) Place steamed prawns on a plate and pour the cooked ingredients on top. Serve.